I’m a big believer in the saying, “when one door closes, another opens,” but I will admit that sometimes it is the latter half of Alexander Graham Bell’s quote that rings true: “…but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”

For me, and maybe you too, 2017 was a challenging year. In addition to the loss of incredible people and other heartbreaks, I felt uncertainty swirl all around us as change happened rapidly and we were surrounded by an overwhelming amount of information. Personally, the year ended with events that forced me to slow down, reflect, regroup and refocus my priorities and my attitude.

Fittingly, the theme of this year’s AWE Learning Day is Enhancing Opportunities. To my earlier point, identifying and tapping into those opportunities can be easier said than done. Many of us tend to have #FOMOOO (fear of missing out on opportunities) without really evaluating whether the opportunity should be a priority to pursue and what is the actual cost of letting it go.

In my first year as CEO of AWE I felt as though I needed to stretch myself much too thin based on FOMOO. What if I am missing something really important? What if I let someone down? I used to be guilty of these thoughts until I shifted my mindset from scarcity to abundance.

I realized that there are not a finite number of opportunities available so if one thing does not happen as planned, it is not the end of the world. In fact, it could be a good thing since you now have the space to open yourself up to something that is a better fit.

I have learned a great way to avoid the #FOMOOO is to ask for help by calling on your team or network to take on opportunities that do not best fit your priorities instead of taking everything on yourself. In the end, you have embraced the opportunities that are a priority to you and created new opportunities for others.

We can’t always be prepared for the challenges life throws at us, but we can choose how to we respond and manage through them. The power of positive thinking is a great place to make decisions. In my opinion, leading with optimism over fear and having the mindset of abundance is the best way to enhance opportunities.

What fear is holding you back? How will you enhance and embrace opportunities this year? I hope you will join the conversation at our Learning Day event on February 20 in Edmonton.